KS Now Has Official State Fossils

The flying pteranodon (tuh-RAN-uh-don) is on the left. The sea-roaming tylosaurus is on the right. Both creatures roamed what is now Kansas during the Cretaceous Period, when a giant sea covered the area. These pictures are what we think the animals looked like. And, they display better than the fossils!Most Kansans probably know many of our state symbols, like the official state flower, animal and insect. They are, of course, the sunflower, the buffalo and the honeybee. But what about our latest state symbols - the official state fossils? As Commentator William Jennings Bryan Oleander tells us, one is a flying dinosaur. The other is a giant sea creature. And both once roamed the area we now call Kansas.

William Jennings Bryan Oleander is the alter ego of Washburn English Professor Tom Averill.

The comments of William Jennings Bryan Oleander, otherwise known as Tom Averill, Writer-in-Residence at Washburn University.

Description: After years of preparation and generous community support, our third floor core exhibit is nearly finished! Be among the first to experience breathtaking images and artifacts from Douglas County's past (along with tasty refreshments) at this free event. Submitted by: Will Hickox Watkins Museum of History